NWOTM: new discoveries for a new generation

When I first got into thrash and death metal back in the mid and late 80s, I couldn't get enough.

I would scan the tape (and later, CD) aisles at least twice a week to see if there was anything I might have missed. My friends and I bought tons of metal magazines to check out any ads they might have of underground bands.

We did not yet have the convenience of the internet, so we relied on magazines, word of mouth, and specific record labels which put out the stuff we liked.

Combat, Metal Blade, Century Media, Megaforce and R/C (among others) always got our money first. Sometime we were disappointed with a blind purchase, but the thrill of the hunt for new music was always a rush.

Back then, it was a glorious time of discovery. This is why I love the NWOTM so much.

Now we have kids between the ages of 12 and 15 discovering thrash metal for the first time. With SO many choices out there, those kids will experience the same rush of discovering new thrash bands as my friends and I did back in the day.

The best aspect of having new young thrash bands is that the kids can actually anticipate new releases instead of relying on a dead catalog of broken up or nearly forgotten bands. Yes, new fans should absolutely seek out as much old-school stuff as possible (and as fans of thrash metal, they most certainly will), but it sure is bad-ass to consider the slew of new music being produced right now for both noobs and old-schoolers to enjoy.

Wow, those new fans are lucky. Not only do they have a ton of new stuff, but also a megaton of older thrash to hunt through.